Strawberries – benefits and how to store and hull them

Strawberries are a traditional taste of summer. They are the jewel from which many summer treats are made of. They can be eaten fresh or served as a dessert or in a savoury dish. Some favourite desserts include strawberry milkshake and strawberry muffins. They can also be served as topping for waffles or ice cream and for making excellent strawberry jam. I also like to add them to salads especially ones with blue cheese as it gives the salad that special sweetness. They are also a popular addition to dairy products such as ice cream and smoothies.

Benefits of strawberries

Here are 10 benefits why you should eat this delicious berry:

• Helps burn stored fat
• Boost short term memory
• Low in Calories – High in Fiber
• Ease Inflammation
• Lower cardiovascular disease
• Promote bone health
• Prevent oesophageal cancer
• Anti-ageing properties
• Good for weight loss
• Promote eye health

If these 10 benefits didn’t convince you to eat more strawberries we don’t know what will.

How to store them

Here are our tips on how to store the berries:

• It’s best to consume them as soon as you harvest or purchase them. Keeping them in the refrigerator will not improve their quality.
• They should be kept in room temperature for a few hours. Anthocyanin, which is responsible for the red colour of strawberries, is heat sensitive. This is the reason strawberries brown in warm temperatures.
• Unwashed strawberries should be stored loosely, cover with plastic wrap and should be placed on the coldest part of your refrigerator for about two days maximum as they lose nutrients quickly.
• Only wash strawberries when ready to consume as they easily perish. To wash strawberries, place them in a colander and rinse them under running cold water. Do not soak them for they will lose their colour and flavour. Do not remove their caps until after you have washed the berries
• If you want frozen strawberries; wash them gently, let them dry and remove the caps. Place them on a cookie sheet and freeze. Place them in a ziplock bag once frozen. Make sure to suck out all the air and seal. You may keep them in your freezer for up to six months.

How to hull or core a stawberry:

Whether you’re preparing delicious strawberry muffins or treating yourself to a big bowl of the fruit, hulling strawberries can be tricky and time-consuming. It’s also kind of dangerous if you don’t use a proper technique. Check out these 4 easy ways to hull strawberries quickly and safely.

Strawberry hulling method #1: Hold a strawberry in your left hand and a sharp paring knife in your right hand (reverse it if you’re left-handed). For the most control, hold the knife on the blade just below the handle. Insert the tip of the knife into the strawberry next to the stem cap. Angle the knife tip toward the centre core of the berry. Turn the strawberry to guide the knife around the stem-cap, keeping the knife tip angled towards the centre core of the strawberry. This will cut out, rather than off, the stem and its fibrousness. When cutting into the berry, create a cone shape tapering into the strawberry. This removes the stem and the tough bits just below it without sacrificing too much fruit.

Strawberry hulling method #2: Push a plastic straw through the bottoms of strawberries until the leaves pop off. This method is often shown in the life hack videos on YouTube.

Strawberry hulling method #3: Stick a metal barman’s tool through the bottoms of strawberries until the leaves pop off.

Strawberry hulling method #4: grab the leaves of the strawberry between your fingers and twist until the leaves pop off.

Write in the comment section below which one is your favourite method of hulling strawberries.

Send to us photos of your favourite strawberry creation and tag us on social media @cravemonkeypl (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).